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Going dip
Page 38
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Members of the CM operators' p nel aim to avoid digital tachographs for as lohg as possible or else find ways to cut the imple entation
costs. Pat Hagan reports.
_.
(D igital tachographs are due to be introduced on all new vehicles from 5 August next year.and they're completely different to their analogue counterparts. ' They are designed to reduce the scope for abuse and improve the level of control over drivers' hours, both for operators and the enforcement authorities.
But what does it really mean for the thousands of transport companies faced with using these new high-tech gadgets day in, day out?
Concerns arc already being voiced about-a number of key issues,such as the cost of training drivers to use digitaldevices, the complexity of sn1i the equipment, and the managerial li6(adache of running a fleet that's part digital, part analOgue.
The question of who pays the £35 for each 1 dri er's smart card — the drivers themselves or th ir bosses — is also causing debate.
___
Some companies are already planning to carry out fleet renewal just before the introduction date, in order to postpone the arrival of digital tachographs for as long as possible.
Toget a feel for whether the new technology is already a major issue for operators,orsomething they plan to worry about only on the eve of introduction,we spoke to members of the CM operators' panel, a mix of hauliers, owner-drivers and trainers who regularly provide feedback on how the industry copes with change.